Lincoln City F.C.
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| Lincoln City | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Full name | Lincoln City Football Club | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | The Imps/The Red Imps, The Yellowbellies | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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| Founded | 1884 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ground | Sincil Bank Lincoln |
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| Capacity | 10,127 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Chairman | Steff Wright | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Manager |  John Schofield |
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| League | League Two | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 2005-06 | League Two, 7th | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Lincoln City F.C. are an English football team currently playing in Football League Two (the fourth tier of the English football league system).
The team play at the 10,127 capacity Sincil Bank in Lincoln, Lincolnshire, and are nicknamed the Imps after the legend of the Lincoln Imp. More recently, they have also been known as the Red Imps. Traditionally they play in red and white striped shirts with black shorts and red and white socks.
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[edit] History
[edit] Brief history
Formed in 1884 as an amateur association, Lincoln turned professional in the 1891/92 season. Originally they played at the John O'Gaunts ground, however, in 1895 they moved to their current ground, Sincil Bank.
Their honours include 3 Division 3 (North) championships in 1931/32, 47/48 and 51/52, a Division 4 championship in 1975/76 (when they were managed by future England manager Graham Taylor & broke the record for most points for a whole season when 2 points were awarded for a win with 74 points), and most recently they were Conference champions in the 1987/88 season. Their highest ever position achieved came in the 1901/02 season, where they reached 5th position in the English Division 2 (now known as the Championship). In very recent history, the club have also been in the chase for promotion from the fourth tier via the Play-Offs four times, twice reaching the finals (2002/03 & 04/05) and twice getting knocked out in the semi-finals (2003/04 & 05/06), each time under the guidance of Keith Alexander.
[edit] Recent years
- The '80s-Present
In 1985, Lincoln were the opposition at Bradford City when the Bradford Fire claimed the lives of 56 spectators - two of them, Bill Stacey and Jim West, were Lincoln fans, and subsequently these fans had the Stacey West stand named after them.
Two years later, they became the first team to suffer automatic relegation from the Football League. They regained their Football League place automatically via promotion as champions of the Football Conference (beforehand it was done by re-election) at the first attempt and have held on to it ever since.
On 8th September, 1990, Lincoln were the opposition when David Longhurst suffered a fatal heart attack during the first half of a game against York City at Bootham Crescent. The game was abandoned at half-time.
Recently they have spent most of their time in the former Division 3 (now League Two) with one season spent in Division 2 (now League One) in the 1998/99 season.
In 2002/03, with the departure of manager Alan Buckley his assistant Keith Alexander was put in charge and given the task of keeping the team in the football league, he proved the many pundits and fans who believed that Lincoln would be relegated and sent out of business due to financial irregularites wrong. With a team made up of cheap ex-non-league players and the lower paid memembers of the previous seasons squad he managed to take them to the Play-Off final which they lost 5-2 to Bournemouth. The team were rewarded with a civil reception in Lincoln, and an open-top bus ride through Lincoln, an event usually preserved for the winners of such competitions, but was awarded to the team because of the massive achievement.
In 2003/04 Alexander again confounded the critics by coaching the Imps to another Play-Off position, this time losing to eventual winners Huddersfield Town in the semi-finals. Alexander, one of the very few black managers in the Football League, had a very serious brain injury (a cerebral aneurysm) halfway through the season, but made a full recovery.
In the 2004/05 season they again qualified for the Play-Offs, for a third year running, and in the semi-finals Lincoln beat Macclesfield Town 2-1 on aggregate over two legs but lost in the final against Southend United 2-0 after extra time.
In the 2005/06 season Lincoln City again reached the Play-Offs when many fans and critics believed that they would finish in the mid table after losing 11 of their best players from the previous 3 campaigns. The Imps finished 7th in League 2 after only losing 3 games since the new year. Lincoln were to face local neighbours Grimsby Town in the play-offs, a side they had beaten 5-0 at Sincil Bank earlier in the season. However, once again it was not to be, as Lincoln lost 3-1 on aggregate to become the first team ever to lose four consecutive play-off competitions.
Keith Alexander left his position as manager of Lincoln City by mutual consent on May 24th 2006, on June 15 John Schofield was appointed his successor, with John Deehan as Director of Football.
- Recent form
(League Two)
2005/06 - 7th
2004/05 - 6th
2003/04(*) - 7th
2002/03(*) - 6th
2001/02(*) - 22nd
(*) = Then known as Division Three
[edit] League history
1888-1889 - The Combination
1889-1891 - Midland League
1891-1892 - Football Alliance
1892-1908 - Division 2
1908-1909 - Midland League
1909-1911 - Division 2
1911-1912 - Central League
1912-1920 - Division 2
1920-1921 - Midland League
1921-1932 - Division 3 (North)
1932-1934 - Division 2
1934-1948 - Division 3 (North)
1948-1949 - Division 2
1949-1952 - Division 3 (North)
1952-1961 - Division 2
1961-1962 - Division 3
1962-1976 - Division 4
1976-1979 - Division 3
1979-1981 - Division 4
1981-1986 - Division 3
1986-1987 - Division 4
1987-1988 - Conference National
1988-1992 - Division 4
Introduction of the FA Premier League/Rebranding of the Football League
1992-1998 - Division 3
1998-1999 - Division 2
1999-2004 - Division 3
Rebranding of the Football League
2004-Present - League Two
[edit] Honours
[edit] League
- Division Three (North)
- Winners (3): 1931/32, 1947/48, 1951/52
- Runners-Up (3): 1927/28, 1930/31, 1936/37
- League Two
- Winners (1): 1975/76 (*)
- Runners-Up (1): 1980/81 (*)
- Third-Placed (1): 1997/98 (**)
- Play-Off Finalists (2): 2002/03 (**), 2004/05
- Play-Off Semi-Finalists (2): 2003/04 (**), 2005/06
- Conference National
- Winners (1): 1987/88
- Midland League
- Winners (2): 1908/09, 1920/21
- Central League
- Winners (1): 1911/12
[edit] Cup
- Football League Trophy
- Runners-Up (1): 1983 (***)
- (Northern Section) Finalists (1): 2000/01
- Conference Championship Shield
- Winners (1): 1987/88
- Lincolnshire Senior Cup (****)
- Winners (30): 1886/87, 1890/91, 1891/92, 1893/94, 1907/08, 1909/10, 1911/12, 1913/14, 1914/15, 1919/20, 1921/22, 1923/24, 1926/27, 1930/31, 1931/32, 1933/34, 1934/35, 1945/46, 1947/48, 1948/49, 1950/51, 1961/62, 1966/67, 1968/69, 1969/70, 1974/75, 1980/81, 1981/82, 1984/85, 1990/91
- Runners-Up (?): (****)
- Shared (3): 1955/56, 1963/64, 1965/66
[edit] Highest Finishes
- Highest League Finish
- 5th in the Championship (1): 1901/02 (*****)
- FA Cup
- Last 16 (3): 1886/87, 1889/90 and 1901/02
- League Cup
- 4th Round (1): 1967/68
- FA Trophy
- Quarter Finalists (1): 1987/88
(*) = Then known as Division Four
(**) = Then known as Division Three
(***) = This final has not been officially recognized in the current Football League Trophy records, and consequently the club have not been credited as Runners-Up in the history books of this competition. This is due to the fact that inbetween the abandonement of the Texaco Cup/Anglo-Scottish Cup and the arrival of the current competition, this was the competition that took place (the Football League Group Trophy) but has not been considered an "official" replacement/transition between the trophies.
(****) = Results of the Lincolnshire Senior Cup not available after 1996/97 due to outdated source book therefore need updating, also a "Runners-Up" list needs compiling.
(*****) = Then known as Division Two
[edit] Records
[edit] Attendances
- League
05 March 1949 v Grimbsy Town - 23,146
- Cup
30 January 1954 v Preston North End - 23,027 (FA Cup)
15 November 1967 v Derby County - 23,196 (League Cup)
[edit] Appearances
- Overall
Grant Brown - 469 (462 + 7 sub)
- League
Grant Brown - 407 (401 + 6 sub)
- Cup
George Fraser - 27 (FA Cup)
Gordon Hobson - 23 (League Cup)
Dave Smith - 23 (22 + 1 sub) (League Cup)
[edit] Scorers
- Overall (League)
Andy Graver - 144 (1950-55, 1958-61)
- Overall (Cup)
Billy Dinsale - 14 (1926-31) (FA Cup)
Tony Cunningham - 8 (1979-83) (League Cup)
George Shipley - 8 (1979-85) (League Cup)
- In One Season (League)
Allan Hall - 31 (1931-32)
[edit] Transfer fees
- Paid
Dean Walling - £75,000 to Carlise United, 1997
Tony Battersby - £75,000 to Bury, 1998
- Received
Jack Hobbs - >£750,000 from Liverpool, 2005
[edit] Victories
- League
11-1 v Crewe Alexandra (H), Division 3 (North), 29/09/1951
7-1 v Rochdale (H), League 2, 21/10/2006
- Cup
13-0 v Peterborough (A), FA Cup, 12/10/1895
[edit] Players
- Youngest Player
Jack Hobbs - 16 years and 149 days v Bristol Rovers, 15/01/2005 (League Two)
Shane Nicholson - 16 years and 112 days v Charlton Athletic, 23/09/1986 (League Cup)
- Oldest Player
Albert Iremonger - 42 years and 312 days v Doncaster Rovers, 23/04/1927 (Division Three (North))
[edit] Famous ex-players and managers
- Graham Taylor (former England manager)
- Gareth Ainsworth (now playing for Queens Park Rangers)
- John Fashanu (television presenter and ex-Wimbledon, Norwich City and Aston Villa player)
- Darren Huckerby (currently at Norwich City with past spells at Manchester City and Newcastle United amongst others)
- Phil Neale OBE (former England cricket player)
- Fred Trueman (former England cricket player)
Bruce Grobbelaar (former Liverpool player)- Steve McClaren (current England Manager)
- Tony Woodcock (former England player)
[edit] Rivals
- Boston United
- Grimsby Town
- Scunthorpe United
- Mansfield Town
- Hull City
- Notts County
- Peterborough United
Despite sharing the city with Lincoln United, the two are not usually considered rivals, as United are much lower in the League system than City and the clubs rarely play each other except for friendlies.
[edit] Current first-team squad
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[edit] Out on loan
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[edit] External links
- Official Lincoln City Site
- Lincoln City's Sky Sports Homepage
- Lincoln City's BBC Homepage
- Imp Sight (Unofficial Fansite)
- The Imps (Unofficial Fansite)
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Accrington Stanley | Barnet | Boston United | Bristol Rovers | Bury | Chester City | Darlington | Grimsby Town | Hartlepool United | Hereford United | Lincoln City | Macclesfield Town | Mansfield Town | Milton Keynes Dons | Notts County | Peterborough United | Rochdale | Shrewsbury Town | Stockport County | Swindon Town | Torquay United | Walsall | Wrexham | Wycombe Wanderers edit |
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